In this paper, we position ourselves behind the further exploration of creative tools that do not alter or interrupt the designer’s thick practice, but instead exist seamlessly with existing practices through the use of multimodal input. We provide an example of this with our own work towards the design of gesture-based visualization systems for externalization of thought amongst creative workers, as well as a hypothetical example of such a system to support sculpting in stone. This approach is not proposed as a replacement to the design of virtual tools, but rather presents a different perspective on the design of tools that can aid artists or designers in ways that coexist with their existing practice.